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-lz- / Salt Creek ;lining Company has proposed to partially backfill cut slopes at the i "<•~•'- mine ortal bench. Natural slo es in the vicinit~ are ver stee and com lete E:~;:,~• P P Y Y P P backfilling of the existing cut slopes would be difficult. The applicant has not provided enough analysis to suggest that the slopes will be stable in a partially backfilled situation (See stipulation in preferred alternative sec- tion). Socioeconomics Assessment The Salt Creek Mining Co.. currently employs 15 persons (7 hourly, plus cleri- cal and supervisory) for the McClane Canyon Mine. Hourly operating personnel work at the mine site, approximately 20 miles north of Irma, Co., on I-70 west of Grand Junction. According to the Company, the number of employees will not vary from the current IS during the projected 2-3 year life of the exploratory mining ceration. The Company reported that- all employees reside in the Fruita-Grand Junction area. Only one did not live in the area before being employed. Employees commute to work via car pool or private auto. '.Since the mine_site_.is actually is Garfield Co., that county will receive the .direct -benefit of the increase is assessed valuation due to mine property and :~'c: iequipment.':Mesa.County'will.benefit to a lesser degree from purchases by mine employees, as well as residential property taxes. Earlier projections of __ ___ ___- mitier3aduced_revP++++ea i++' the_East-Central Colorado Coal Environmental State- - -meat, BIM, 1978. p'. 796, were $4,000,000 for Hesa County and considera y more '~ for Garfield Co. However, these estimates were based on the expectation of a _:~ - much larger operation getting undenray sooner with several hundred employees. -During this exploratory-phase of-the McClane Canyon Mine,"'.the public revenues generated bq only 15 employees residing in Mesa Co. would be relatively minor. - ~~%`` "' Fifteen varied energy development projects are planned in the Grand Junction • impact area by 1985. Population and employment are projected to grow an addi- tional 20 to SO percent - without consideric~g the-McClane Canyon Mine. Ex- _ . ., tensive programs of capital improvements are being planned by Mesa County, af- ,, _fected. towns and School District 51. Funding assistance is anticipated from outside sources (Oil Shale Trust Fund, Energy and Hineral Impact Funds and various grants such as FHA and EPA, etc.) as well as local sources ssch as an increase in the sales tax. Nevertheless, because of the extensive nature of required capital improvements, deficits in funding appear inevitable for vir- tually all governmental jurisdictions - especially in view of uncertain Fed- eral grants. Conclusion: In and of itself, continuation of this exploratory project at the McClane Canyon Hine will not cause any significant, adverse socioeconomic im- pact on Hesa County and other local entities. When compared to the overall growth trend 1n t1esa County, the immediate impact of >1cClane Canyon is neglig- ible. If the exploration is successful, and an application to proceed with full-scale coal production at P1cClane Canyon is received, an extensive revLew of cunulative socioeconomic impacts will be required at that time. Full- production plans call for an eventual work force of 900 employees at HcClane (~ •Z Canyon.